Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky Novelization
by Ridin Valon
Summary: When you wake up on the beach, with no memory and also mysteriously transformed into a Pokémon... What would you do? Follow Diamond on his journey to find out the wonders of this world. What awaits him at the end...?
1. Chapter 1-1:A Storm at Sea

**Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky**

 **Chapter 1-1: A Storm at Sea**

* * *

 _A single flash._

" _Whoa! Wh-wh-whoa…! Are… are you OK?!"_

 _Another flash._

" _No! Don't let go! Just a little longer… Come on! Hang on!"_

 _Another flash._

" _N-n-no! I can't… hold on…!"_

 _Several flashes._

" _Waaaaaah!"_

* * *

A heavy storm brewed through the violent seas. Bolts of lightning lit up from the sky, striking down on wherever it hits. The dark clouds blocked what would have been an afternoon. No one dared to leave their homes, in fear of the wrath of nature. Occasionally, the flashes lit up and anyone insane to be out in this weather, would have been able to see a strangely-shaped cliff resembling a shark of some sort...

* * *

"Uurgh… Where… where am I?"

A figure opened their eyes slowly. From their narrow view, they could only make out light brown and blue. It couldn't find any energy to move. It laid on the grainy ground, completely helpless to move.

But their consciousness didn't last long. They could feel everything darkening.

"…I-I can't… Drifting off…" was the unknown figure's words before their eyes shut.

* * *

"Hmm…"

At the top of a hill, where a large tent resembling the shape of a pink rabbit Pokémon, and a torch and a totem resided on both sides of the tent, a yellow mouse, or known as a Pikachu, paced left and right. Judging by the sharp lightning bolt tail, this Pikachu is male. After several rounds, the Pikachu stopped pacing and took a deep breath and exhaled.

"No. I refuse to be paralyzed by this any longer!" The Pikachu said. "This is it. It's time I steel my courage today." The Pikachu stepped forward towards the tent. Only when he stepped on the wooden grate in front of him, he heard a voice which caused him to freeze.

"Pokémon detected! Pokémon detected!" Said a squeaky voice.

"Whose footprint? Whose footprint?" Boomed a very loud voice.

"The footprint is Pikachu's! The footprint is Pikachu's!" The squeaky voice said.

"Waah!" The Pikachu yelped, falling backwards off the grate. He looked around. No one else was there but him. "That was too shocking!" The Pikachu said. The two voices he heard didn't respond for some time.

"Phew…" The Pikachu sighed. He began to tilt his head downwards. "…I can't…" The Pikachu said. "I can't work up the courage to go in, after all… I told myself that this is the day, but…" The Pikachu looks down, his paw touching a piece of granite with a mysterious symbol on it hanging around his neck from a string. "I thought that holding on to my personal treasure would inspire me…"

The Pikachu sighs, getting on his feet. "I just can't do it… I'm such a coward… This is so discouraging…" With his head hung low, the Pikachu walked away from the tent. The hill remained empty… only for a while as two figures emerged from a bush.

"Hey, Zubat. Did you get a load of that?!" The first figure said.

"You bet I did, Koffing." The second figure said.

"That little wimp that was pacing around… had something good, right?"

"That wimp had something, that's for sure. It looked like some sort of treasure."

"Do we go after it?"

"We do."

* * *

The sun was slowly falling from the skies, painting the skies with beautiful shades of orange and red. Crab-like Pokémon rested on the sands and rocks, blowing out sparkling bubbles which glided through the beach and the ocean elegantly. The Pikachu walked on the sands of the beach, kicking a pebble. He lets out a sigh before he turns to see the sunset. Immediately, his mood brightened. "Oh, wow! What a pretty sight!" The Pikachu exclaimed. He could see the sparkles of the ocean as the rays of the sun reflected on the water surface. The bubbles glistened in the sun's rays as they floated over the ocean.

The Pikachu rested himself on the sand by sitting down. "When the weather's good, the Krabby come at sundown to blow bubbles… All those bubbles catching the setting sun's rays off the waves… It's always beautiful." The Pikachu said to himself. The Pikachu remained there while he watched the scenery in front of his eyes.

The Pikachu soon looked at the rock around his neck. "This is where I always come when I'm feeling sorry for myself. But it always makes me feel good here, like always." The Pikachu continued to talk to himself. "Coming here is uplifting. It cheers me up." The Pikachu looked over to his left, noticing something. Something that doesn't belong to the beach.

"Hey… what's that?" The Pikachu wondered. "What's going on over there?" He got up from his spot heading over. He spotted… blue seaweed? Nah, seaweed isn't blue. Unless it's some sort of new plant. When he got closer, the Pikachu could tell that it wasn't seaweed, but an unconscious Pokémon.

"Waah! Someone has collapsed on the sand!" The Pikachu gasped, hurrying over to the Pokémon. From what he saw, this Pokémon is mainly blue, and has a penguin-like body. The Pikachu began to shake the penguin's body. "What happened?! Are you OK?" The Pikachu asked.

"…Ugh…" The Pokémon began to shift. The Pikachu stepped back to give the Pokémon some space to get up slowly. After the Pokémon fully stood up, the Pikachu could tell that this Pokémon is a Piplup. How odd. Piplups aren't common at all in this place. In fact, they should be found in the icy regions of the world. Nonetheless, the Pikachu didn't let that bother him. "You're awake! That's a relief!" The Pikachu said.

"…Where… where am I…?" The Piplup asked, looking around and still quite dazed.

"You weren't moving at all. I was seriously worried!" The Pikachu said. "Do you remember how you ended up unconscious here?"

'I… I was unconscious? What happened…?' The Piplup wondered to himself.

"Well, I'm Rica! Glad to meet you!" The Pikachu introduced himself with a beamed smile.

The Piplup stared at the named Pikachu for a moment before he let out a loud shriek. "Y-you are a Pokémon!" The Piplup said, somewhat horrified. "A-and you're talking!"

"Talking?" Rica said. "Of course I can talk."

"B-but you're a Pokémon!" The Piplup said. "Pokémon aren't supposed to be speaking!"

"You're odd. You're a Pokémon too, aren't you, Piplup?" Rica scratched his head.

"Wha-?! I'm not a Pokémon!" The Piplup said. "I'm a human! And you're one oddly large Pikachu for a Pokémon!"

"A human?" Rica tilted his head. "Did you hit yourself somewhere, Piplup? Do you need to rest?"

"I said I'm no Pi–" The Piplup stopped speaking when a bubble drifted over to the space between him and Rica. The bubble clearly showed his reflection. A Piplup was staring at him from the bubble. "GWAAAAAAH!" The Piplup shrieked when the bubble popped. He turned and hurried over to the ocean. He gazed at the water. Once again, he was face-to-face with a Piplup from the ocean.

"GAAAAAAH!" The Piplup screamed again. He soon touched his face, looked at his flippers, gave weak tugs to his fur coat and stared at his feet. He touched his face again. "I…I…I turned into a Pokémon!" The Piplup screamed. "But… how…?!"

"Are you sure you're not pulling some trick on me?" Rica asked.

"Of course, I'm not!" The Piplup said. "I wouldn't have freaked out like this if I were a Pokémon! I'm a human!" The Piplup rubbed his head. "I think I am… but… everything's hazy…"

"You're telling me the truth?" Rica asked.

"I am!" The Piplup said.

"Okay, then…" Rica nodded, although he thought the Piplup seemed a bit suspicious. "Your name? What's your name?"

"My name is…" The Piplup rubbed his head. "My name… is… Hold on, gimme some time to think." The Piplup turned around as he continued to ponder. 'What's my name again…?' The Piplup thought. 'I can't remember! What was it…? Think! Think!' The Piplup began to pace around, trying to figure out his name.

"If you don't have a name… I could call you "Piplup" for the time being, okay?" Rica said.

"I have a name!" The Piplup screamed in exasperation. "Gimme time to think!" The Piplup rubbed his head again. His eyes soon noticed an aqua blue band on his flipper. There was a word imprinted on the band.

"Dia…mond…" The Piplup said. He knew his name now. Well, he was sure that was his name. He really didn't want to be called "Piplup".

"Huh?" Rica said.

"That's my name." The Piplup turned to meet the Pikachu. "Diamond."

"Oh, Diamond's your name?" Rica said. "A really odd name… to be called after a rock… But you don't seem to be a bad Pokémon, at least." He scratched the back of his head. "Sorry I doubted you."

"It's alright." Diamond said. "But a diamond isn't actually a rock. It's a… a… a…" Diamond realized that he didn't know what a diamond is either, but for some reason, he was supposed to know. He lowered his head. "…Never mind."

"Ah, well…" Rica said. "More and more bad Pokémon have been turning up lately, you see. More Pokémon have gotten aggressive lately. Things have grown somewhat lawless… That's why I doubted you earlier… Sorry about that again."

Diamond nodded and looked at Rica again. And then, he noticed two Pokémon sneaking up at the Pikachu.

"Behind you!" Diamond warned.

"Wha-?" Rica was about to turn, but it was too late. "Ouch!" The Pikachu fell forward on Diamond, knocking him down on the sand. Diamond lifted his head from beneath Rica to see who hit him: a Koffing and a Zubat.

"Well, I do beg your pardon." The Koffing apologized, but with a smirk. Diamond, somehow, had a bad feeling about the duo.

The Pikachu, after recovering from the tackle, angrily got off Diamond and turned to the two Poison-Type Pokémon. "Hey! What did you do that for?!"

The Zubat simply grinned at Rica with a chuckle. "Can't figure it out? We want to mess with you! Can't face up to us, can't you?!"

"Wh-what?!" Rica took a step back.

"That's yours, isn't it?" The Zubat gestured to his left. The Pikachu turned to see the stone lying on the sand. He gasped. It must have fallen off from the string on his neck when he was tackled. "No! That's…!"

"Sorry, kiddo. We'll take that!" The Zubat flew down and picked the stone up with his tails.

"Aaaah!" Rica screamed. He tried to charge at the Zubat to get his possession back. But he couldn't move.

"Whoa-ho-ho!" The Koffing laughed tauntingly. "Not gonna make a move to get that back? What's the matter? Too scared?" The Pikachu flinched when he heard "scared". He stood rooted at his spot. "I didn't expect that you'd be such a big coward!" The Koffing turned to the Zubat. "Come on. Let's get out of here." He said.

"See you around, chicken." The Zubat said at the now shaking Pikachu. He chuckled before he and the Koffing headed off from the beach and into the cave in front of them. All Diamond could do was just stare at the duo as they disappeared into the cave. 'What the…? What just happened…?' Diamond thought.

He turned to see Rica on his rear, head hung down. "…Ohhh…" Rica said weakly to himself. "Wh-what should I do? That's my personal treasure. It means everything to me." He started to shake. "If I lose that…" He spoke in a cracking sob. Diamond walked around, and now he noticed that the Pikachu was crying.

Seeing the energetic Pikachu reduced to a whimpering coward in mere seconds was the last straw for Diamond. He needed to help this Pikachu. No, he must! Even though that he thinks that someone cares for a rock so deeply is just weird. Nodding on his own course of action, he tapped Rica's shoulder. "Hey."

"H-huh…?" Rica turned to Diamond.

"I'm getting your rock back." Diamond said.

"Wh-what!?" The Pikachu said.

"You heard me. That's your rock, isn't it?" Diamond turned to the cave where the duo entered. "I just can't let this slide." He said. "I'm going in there to get your rock."

"Y-you mean…" The Pikachu began, wiping his tears away with his paws. "You're going to get it back?"

"Yup. That's what I said. Just stay here, I'll get it back for you." Diamond replied. He was about to head inside when he was stopped suddenly. "W-wait!" Diamond felt his flipper being held by a furry paw. He turned to see Rica facing him. "I-I'm going too. It's my treasure." Rica said. "And you're right… I have to get it back!"

"Rica…" Diamond said. He breathed before continuing his sentence. "…You're too close to me."

"…Ah." Rica just realized that he was indeed very close to the Piplup. He released his paw, walking a distance away from Diamond, but not too far. When he looked back at the Piplup, he could have sworn he saw a tint of red from the Piplup's face. "So… they headed into this cave, right?" Diamond said.

"That's Beach Cave." Rica said. "It's a Mystery Dungeon."

"A what?"

"Um…" Rica said. "Don't worry! I'll explain about it when we're inside!"

And so, Diamond and Rica headed into Beach Cave, one of the many Mystery Dungeons around the world…

…Of course, neither of them realized that this marked the beginning. The beginning of an grand adventure to come.

* * *

 **Hi! I was playing PMD: Explorers of Sky. Most of the story is based on my run of the game, so… expect to see a lot of oddness, I guess? The teammates that'll be formed will also play their part in the entire story. I'll be covering "post-game" content as well. And since this is Explorers of Sky… for those who are familiar with the game, you'd know what's coming.**

 **I think I am suckish at novelizations... so forgive me if half of it turns out bad.**


	2. Chapter 1-2:Beach Cave

**Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky**

 **Chapter 1-2: Beach Cave**

* * *

 **Beach Cave**

 **BF1**

Beach Cave. A Mystery Dungeon residing very close to the residential area, Treasure Town. The area itself, well, as its' name would have said, had a coastal-like environment: the flooring is grainy sand, bodies of water situated at some of the areas of the floor, but not taking a majority of it. Diamond studied his surroundings. He could guess why it was called Beach Cave. He turned to the Pikachu that followed him into the place.

"So… what were you saying about what this place is…?" Diamond asked Rica.

"Well… it's a Mystery Dungeon." Rica explained. "It's like, a mysterious place, you see. A Mystery Dungeon changes each time you go into it. There's a different layout and different items every time you enter it. Pokémon do live in these places as well, but…"

"Hey, over there!"

"Huh?" Rica looked forward to see Diamond running towards a passage. "Wh-huh? W-wait!" Rica hurried into the passage Diamond went into earlier. It was considerably dark for such a narrow passage. Rica felt like anything could pop out from the walls. But he knew about this place, there were no such Pokémon living there that could phase through walls.

When he reached the end of the passageway, he found Diamond approaching a Shellos in the middle of the room. "H-hey!" Rica said.

"What's wrong, little guy?" Diamond said to the Shellos. "Are you lost?"

"D-Diamond!" Rica called out in a panicked voice. "Get away from it!"

"Hm?" Diamond turned around. "Why? Is something the ma-" He was suddenly tacked by the Shellos he had been talking to a moment ago. "Wh-what!?" Diamond fell backwards at the Shellos attacked him.

"O-oh no!" Rica exclaimed.

"Hey! What's wrong!?" Diamond moved his head left and right to avoid the Shellos's wild swinging of its' head towards him.

"Pound it!" Rica shouted.

"How does slapping it do anything?!" Diamond screamed, raising his flipper and swinging it at the Shellos. The Shellos was thrown off by the Pound, landing on the floor. Diamond stared at the Shellos. It seemed to have lost consciousness.

Without wasting any second, Diamond and Rica dashed away from the room, rushing through the corridor until they reached another room.

"Why did that thing attack me!?" Diamond was the first to speak.

"I was getting to that…" Rica said. "Pokémon found in Mystery Dungeons are usually hostile. Even if we don't want to fight them, they'd still attack us…"

"Huh… Wait…" Diamond realized something. "You're an Electric-Type, right? Then… Why didn't you help me fry the Shellos with a Thundershock!?"

"W-well…" Rica said softly. "The thing is… I can't… fight…"

"You WHAT-!?" Diamond shouted.

"I mean, I-I can't fight!" Rica said more loudly. "I just… I just can't fight!"

"But…" Diamond paused. How did he know what moves the Pikachu had? He scratched his head with his flipper. He was completely confused. He shook his head and looked at Rica. "Doing something is better than doing nothing at all."

"Dia…" Rica mumbled. He turned his head around the room. "H-hey, over there…" Rica pointed to a descending staircase in the room they were in. "We can use that to head in deeper…"

"Oh… how many floors did this place have?" Diamond asked.

"Hmm… I'm sure that there were five floors… including the pit of the cave…" Rica said.

"That… isn't so hard to traverse through… right?" Diamond said with uncertainty.

"D-doesn't seem like it…" Rica mumbled as they headed down the staircase.

 **BF2**

Diamond and Rica entered the new room that the staircase led them to, and as if magically, the staircase vanished the moment they left the last step. "Huh?" Diamond noticed that the staircase was gone. "The staircase's gone…"

"So, Dia…" Rica said.

"Hm? Who're you talking to?" Diamond asked.

"Well… I'd thought that Dia was easier to call you by… and you wouldn't be miscalled more easily if others were talking about what you said about a diamond…" Rica said. "So… I think that Dia would be better…"

"Hmm…" Diamond cocked his head. "Well, alright. Dia, right? I'm cool with that."

"You don't mind…?" Rica said. Then, he noticed that Diamond had already left his side and was heading towards a passage. "D-Dia! Don't leave me here!" Rica shouted, once again giving chase to the former human.

* * *

 **Beach Cave Pit**

"Did you say that this was the last floor?" Diamond asked as he watched the staircase disappear. He and Rica had travelled through the other two floors before finding the staircase that led them to here. In Diamond's flipper, was some sort of strange orange seed. It looked very prickly and it could harm whoever who was foolish enough to eat it. But Rica insisted on holding one of it, so Diamond obliged.

"Uh-huh…" Rica said.

"I think I see them!" Diamond rushed down the path ahead of him.

"I-I told you not to run forward and leave me alone…!" Rica exclaimed as he hurried behind the Piplup. As they met the end of the path, it led them to an area, where Koffing and Zubat were. The water around the area rippled slightly as Rica nervously took steps forward.

"Uh…" Rica breathed before he spoke loudly to catch the attention of the duo. "…Hey!"

A little startled, Koffing and Zubat turned to meet the Pikachu and Piplup, but showed no hesitation.

"Well, well…" Koffing's grin widened. "If it isn't our old friend, the big chicken."

"Urk!" Rica stepped back. He turned to look at Diamond, who shook his head. Nodding, he turned back to the Poison-Type duo. "Give me… give me back what you stole from me! That's my personal treasure! It means everything to me!"

Zubat's head cocked down at the stone clutched by his tails. "Treasure, you say? So that thing is really valuable, huh?" Koffing was also looking at the stone. "It could be more than we'd hoped for, I'd say. We ought to try selling it. Who knows? It might get a good price." He turned to Rica with a devilish sneer. "Whoa-ho-ho! All the more reason not to give it back!"

"Wh-whaaaat?!" Rica gasped. He'd definitely guessed that wouldn't work.

"If you want it that badly…" Zubat laid the stone at the corner of the area, where it wouldn't be harmed by the imminent battle. "Come and get it! Heh-heh-heh!"

"Th-that means… We're fighting!" Rica squeaked.

Diamond gulped. Through their exploration of Beach Cave, he had never witnessed Rica fight at all. He'd been Pounding his way on the Pokémon they'd met. "Whoah!" Diamond and Rica jumped as Koffing charged at them with a Tackle. Diamond swung his flipper at Koffing with a Pound. Koffing groaned at the stinging pain from the slap. "How about this?" Koffing's mouth spewed out a gaseous smog at Diamond. Diamond coughed as he inhaled the smog. And as he did, he realized that he was getting dizzy. Everything was spinning around him.

"How did you like my Poison Gas, whoa-ho-ho!" Koffing laughed. "Your energy's being sapped away every second!"

"D-Dia!" Rica ran back to Diamond.

"I'm… alright…" Diamond said, despite his vision being completely hazy as the poison took effect on him. Rica looked down at the seed Diamond had been holding on to. He turned back to Koffing, looking rather overconfident. He'd decided what he had to do.

"H-here!" Rica shoved the orange seed into Diamond's beak, forcing him to swallow it and he turned Diamond's head sharply towards Koffing. Diamond's eyes widened. "Gwaaaaaah!" He opened his beak, releasing a sudden blast of fire at the surprised Koffing. Koffing, engulfed by the flames, immediately dropped into the sandy floor with a few burns.

"Wh-what didja feed me!?" Diamond coughed with a hoarse gasp.

"That was a Blast Seed!" Rica said. "It's a powerful item!"

"My throat hurts…" Diamond groaned, looking at the defeated Koffing. "…Wasn't there two of them…?"

"Heh-heh-heh…" Zubat chuckled as he hovered above Diamond. "Looking for someone?" He dove at Diamond, knocking him down. "D-Dia!" Rica exclaimed. Zubat's fangs glowed for a Leech Life as he dove his fangs at Diamond. "Ah!" Diamond moved his head to avoid the Leech Life and Zubat hit the sand instead. "Bleh! Quit dodging!" Zubat spat out the sand and he continued with Leech Life.

'Wh-what do I do…?' Rica thought as he watched the scene. 'Dia's in danger… but… I can't…' His mind began to wander.

'Doing something is better than doing nothing at all!'

Rica's eyes widened as he recalled Diamond's words when he said he couldn't fight. Diamond claimed to be a human, but he managed to find it in himself on using Pokémon moves. Rica is a Pokémon himself, yet he never had any courage on fighting. He was always a coward. Not anymore. He'd quit being a coward. As he saw Diamond kicking Zubat away, it opened an opportunity for him. Zubat once again charged at Diamond.

"Leave him alone!" Rica shouted, letting out a discharge of electricity at Zubat. "Gyaaaaaah!" Zubat was struck by the bolt of electricity. He realized that his body was numb from the Thundershock Rica had released at him. "A-ack… I-I've been… pa-pa-pa-para…"

Something flashed in Diamond's mind. He puffed his cheeks and faced the paralyzed Zubat, who had no means of escape. "Bubble!" With a shout, Diamond released bubbles from his beak, bombarding the Zubat with clear bubbles. After the onslaught of bubbles ceased, Zubat wobbled in the air before falling to the ground.

"Owowow…" Koffing groaned.

"Ugh… We got roughed up…" Zubat grumbled.

The duo eventually found enough strength to fly, but no strength to continue fighting. "B-blast it… how'd we get wiped out by wimps like them?" Koffing mumbled. Zubat flew over to where he laid the stone, picking it up and returning to Koffing's side. "Bah!" Zubat spat. "Here you go. Take it, then!" Zubat swung his tails, throwing the stone at Rica, who managed to catch it with his paws.

"Whoa-ho!" Koffing hissed. "Don't think you're so awesome. Your victory was a fluke!"

"Yeah, you just remember that!" Zubat added. And with that, the Poison-Type duo sped past Rica and Diamond, leaving the area. Diamond turned to Rica, who was happily squealing with glee. "Oh! It's my Relic Fragment!" Rica jumped, clutching the stone tightly in a hug. "Am I ever glad… I actually did manage to get it back." Rica fumbled with the string around his neck, eventually setting the stone back in its' rightful place.

Turning to Diamond, he continued. "It's because you agreed to help me, Dia." Diamond smiled before he was wrapped around with a hug. "Thank you, Dia!" He said.

"Hey! You're too close to me!" Diamond exclaimed.

* * *

"Here, this way." Rica said as he led Diamond out of Beach Cave, finding themselves back at where they'd met. As they stood at the beach for a while, Rica beamed happily. "Thank you! Seriously!"

Diamond was in his own thoughts as he heard the Pikachu's appreciation. 'I only helped because I happened to be there… Was that the right thing to do?' He realized he didn't need an answer to that as he watched Rica bouncing with joy. 'I guess so. This Pokémon is clearly grateful. It's nice to be appreciated. Well, I guess I can understand him. After all, I am a Pokémon now…'

"Here's what they stole." Rica said, presenting the stone around his neck. "This is a Relic Fragment. ...Well, at least, that's what I started calling it... But this Relic Fragment... It's my precious treasure." His eyes glimmered as he continued his conversation. "You see, I've always liked legends and lore... I always get so excited when I hear tales from the past! Don't you feel the same way? Hidden troves full of treasure and strange relics... uncharted territories veiled in darkness... and new lands just waiting to be discovered! Such places must be full of unimaginable gold and treasure! And history! Wouldn't it be amazing to make historic discoveries? That's what I always dream of. It's all exciting to me. So one day... I happened to come across my Relic Fragment. I admit that it looks like junk, but take a closer look." He ushered Diamond to come closer to him.

"See? That inscription forms a strange pattern, doesn't it?' Rica pointed at the Relic Fragment. Diamond took a close look at the inscription. 'It's true. There is a strange inscription. I've never seen a pattern like this.' Diamond agreed silently.

"There must be some significance to this pattern. This Relic Fragment must be the key to legendary places! To areas where precious treasure lies! At least that's the feeling I get." Rica said. He turned to face the ocean. "That's why I want to join an exploration team. This fragment must fit into something... somewhere! I want to discover where that is. I want to solve the mystery of my Relic Fragment! So earlier, I tried joining an exploration team as an apprentice..." After he said that, he lowered his head. "But… I chickened out."

He turned to Diamond. "What about you, Dia? What are you going to do now? You lost your memory. And you somehow transformed into a Pokemon... Do you have anywhere to go and stay after this?" Diamond's head lowered. Rica had points at him.

As he hadn't answered, Rica continued. "If not, can I ask a big favor? Would you be willing to form an exploration team with me? I'm convinced that I can form an effective exploration team with you, Dia. So will you, please?" As he spoke at the end, his eyes began to show pleading looks.

'Wah! What should I do? I'm getting recruited out of the blue!' Diamond was rather startled. 'I don't know what an exploration team is... What should I do? Should I join Rica and form an exploration team?'

"Are you…" Diamond began.

"Huh? Am I what?" Rica said. "What do you mean, 'Are you…'?"

"You're trying to talk me into it?' Diamond finished.

"What?! Talk you into it?!" Rica was rather shocked. "I wasn't trying to do anything!" He scratched the side of his head. "Well, I'm a complete coward... Honestly… I mean, yes, I thought I could depend on you, Dia… But during that fight with those two earlier… Having you there with me, I felt really brave. I think I could do anything as long as you're helping me, Dia. So come on, I'm begging you. Let's form an exploration team, you and me."

"If you put it that way…" Diamond said as he began to consider his next action. 'It's true, I do have nowhere to go... I don't have any clue what I should do next. I guess it wouldn't hurt to team up with Rica for now. Maybe I'll eventually discover who or what I am by hanging out with this Pokémon. OK! That's settled!' Diamond nodded with a smile. "Sure, why not?"

"Yes? Really?! You'll form an exploration team with me?" Rica gasped with elation. Diamond immediately realized what he was going to do next, but he was too late as he was embraced in a tight hug again. "Yes! Thank you!" Rica squealed

"Cool off with the hugging, please!" Diamond shouted.

"…Oh!" Rica released Diamond from his hug. "Anyway… We're going to be a great combination! Let's make this work! First, we should go to Wigglytuff's place and sign up as apprentices. That's where we need to train to become a first-rate exploration team. I'm sure the training will be very tough... But let's give it our best, Dia!"

Rica fist-pumped into the air. Diamond stared at him for a while. "…Oh. You want me to…" Rica hastily nodded. Clenching his flipper, Diamond raised it in the air as Rica gave an excited shout.

 _And so, Diamond and Rica formed an exploration team. This turned out to be their very first step into many fantastic realms of adventure that awaited their arrival._

 **Chapter 1 End**

* * *

 **And so, Chapter 1 of the main in-game story is complete! (Silent cheer) Yeah, I'd never updated in forever. Heck I'd never realized how busy everyone was…**

 **So… Stay tuned for Chapter 2, where Diamond and Rica join Wigglytuff's Guild!**


End file.
